Unlikely Friendship
by Jayne Leigh
Summary: Marshall struggles to come to terms with his break up from Abigail and isn't ready to talk to Mary about the reason why they split. After going to a bar to forget for the night, he runs into a familiar face and strikes up an unlikely friendship. Set after the final but Stan didn't leave. Marshall and Mary are still partners.
1. Chapter 1

**Here's a random story that's been bugging me for a few days. This is set about six months or so after the final. Only thing is, Stan didn't leave. He is still chief and Mary and Marshall are still partners. Please review! **

**Enjoy! **

**Unlikely Friendship**

Marshall chose a booth at the back on the bar; he just wanted a quiet drink where he didn't have to talk to anyone. He was questioning his decision to come in here instead of stopping at the liquor store to pick up a bottle of scotch on his way home when it suddenly hit him and he remembered why he chose to come here… because I didn't want to be reminded that there was no one other than Oscar waiting for him at home.

He sighed and rubbed his tired eyes; it had been a long week of witness transfers and Mary bugging him about his break up with Abigail. He had just kept changing the subject, not ready to talk about it yet.

While they had been fighting a lot lately, he was surprised when he got home two weeks ago to find Abigail stood with her bags packed. She told him that they were never going to work because too much had happened for them to be happy together. He had said she was wrong, that he loved her and would do anything to make it work but she still walked out, leaving her engagement ring on the table.

He wasn't stupid…He knew everyone in the office and probably over at the ABPD were gossiping about it. He heard them talking, saying how they wasn't surprised it hadn't lasted….And they all assumed that it was him that broke things off with her. A part of him wanted to put them straight but a bigger part of him knew it was none of their business and that it would probably just make matters worse if he said anything.

He hadn't even told Mary the reason why they split. He wasn't sure what her reaction to the truth would be and he wasn't ready to deal with the fall out. So he resisted all of her attempts; the teasing, the understanding, the sympathetic, the threatening…It just seemed to make her more determined.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and pulled it out to see Mary's caller ID. He couldn't help but smile at the irony. He wondered whether she was calling about a problem with work…Or if she was trying another tactic to get him to talk…Maybe she was at his house now, wondering where he was. He put the phone of the table and waited for it to go to voicemail…If it was work related, she would leave a message or Stan would be calling him in a next couple of minutes.

A minute later, he got a text message alert; unsurprisingly from Mary.

'_I wanted to see if you were okay. It's just Norah and me hanging out tonight, if you feel like joining us. M' _

He was tempted to take her up on her offer but he also knew what she had planned. They would start by watching a movie with a few beers and by the end of the film; they'd be in a deep and meaningful conversation and he would be confessing everything that had happened.

'_I'm fine. Appreciate the offer but I'm going to pass, thanks. See you tomorrow.'_

Once he had hit sent, he shoved the phone back into his jeans' pocket and leaned back, sipping his scotch.

He was debating with himself, whether he should order another drink and get a cab home or if he should leave now, picking up a bottle of something and face the fact that whatever time he went home, the place would still be empty.

Then he heard a familiar voice.

He looked up and was surprised to see Brandi sat at the bar, talking into her cell phone, obviously upset with someone.

He frowned a little, wondering what Mary's sister was doing a bar, alone. Ever since her broken engagement to Peter and she spiraled out of control, she had given up drinking. Then three months ago, she had given birth to her son, Joseph Scott Shannon. According to Mary, the younger Shannon had been doing really well since her return to Albuquerque and even managed to find herself a part-time job working in the admin office for a Construction Company.

Marshall watched as she slammed the phone down on the bar and picked up the straw in her drink, stirring it. He considered going over to say hello but quickly changed his mind. There was obviously a problem and he wasn't in the mood to be sucked into another Shannon family drama. It didn't look like she was upset or scared…Just angry. He knew that look well, from working with Mary almost every day for the last nine years.

He drained the rest of his scotch and stood up; hoping he could sneak out before being seen. He had almost made it to the door when he heard her voice again. When he looked over, he saw a man had joined her and by the looks of it, he was unwelcome.

He hesitated in the doorway until he saw the guy, trying to take Brandi's hand as she tried to resist being touched. He knew he would feel guilty if he just left her here alone when he could have helped, so with a loud sighed, he headed over to them.

"Hey, honey…" He greeted, placing a hand on Brandi's shoulder, causing her jump.

"Marshall?" She looked at him in surprise but then realized what was going on when her sister's friend flicked his eyes briefly the guy hitting on her. "You're late…"

"I know, I'm sorry but you know how the job can be…" Marshall replied, moving his jacket aside a little so his gun and badge was showing. "Who's this?"

"Hey, man…I didn't know she was taken…I don't want any trouble…" The guy jumped up from the bar stool and held up his hands.

"I don't want any either but maybe you should leave me and my girlfriend to get to our date?" He sat down on the stool on the other side of Brandi, draping an arm across her shoulder.

"Of course…" He stumbled away. "Sorry…"

Brandi chuckled as she watched him leave. "Thanks…"

"No problem." Marshall gave her a small smile. "It looked like you needed rescuing."

"Yeah, the creep wouldn't take a hint." Brandi replied and sipped her drink. "It's orange juice."

"I never said a word…"

"I know but I thought I should tell you." She shrugged. "I don't want it getting back to Mary that I've been in bars drinking…I really don't to take the 'I told you so' speech."

"Hey, come on…" Marshall started.

"Please, you know Mary better than anyone." Brandi cut him off. "You know she's waiting for me to fail."

"I know she's proud of what you've done since you've been back."

She let out another laugh. "Still doesn't stop her expecting me to fail."

Marshall opened his mouth, feeling like he should defend his best friend but before he could, the barman appeared.

"Can I get you anything?"

"This is on me…" Brandi looked at him. "Thank you for helping me out."

"Your real date is not going to show up and start a fight, is he?"

"Nope, I've been stood up."

Marshall knew he should probably turn her down but if he did, it would mean returning to the cold empty house.

"Scotch." He told her barman then to Brandi. "So, is it serious?"

"What?"

"With this guy…the one who stood you up?" He asked. "Mary never mentioned you dating anyone."

"I'm not…I was meant to be meeting a friend from work but she cancelled last minute." Brandi shrugged. "I was looking forward to it… It's my first night out since the baby."

Marshall nodded his thanks when the barman returned with his drink. "Night is still young…you can still enjoy it."

"Marshall Mann, are you asking me out on a date?" She teased.

He choked on his scotch at her words. "No….No, I don't…I mean, I've just…"

"Relax, I'm joking." She laughed. "Anyway, I know you and Abigail just broke up…I was sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, me too."

"She was nice…I thought you two were good together."

"You thought she was nice after she arrested you…"

"To be fair, she also helped clear my name."

"True." Marshall nodded in agreement.

"But hey, at least you guys figured it out before the wedding…" Brandi said with fake cheerfulness. "You wouldn't believe the kind of looks you get when you try to check into a hotel alone when you're wearing a wedding dress."

It was Marshall's turn to laugh. "I think I would get more then looks if I tried to check into a hotel alone wearing a wedding dress."

She titled her head a little to get a better look at him. "How many of those have you had?"

"Only two but I'm running on about two hours sleep so…"

"Why are you here and not at home in bed?"

He shrugged. "More people here."

"Oh…Marshall…" She put her hand on top of hers. "You really miss her?"

He looked at her hand for a few seconds before pulling away. "It's only been two weeks."

"Then call her…Tell her you'll do whatever to get her back."

"You want the truth?" Marshall stared down into his glass, swirling the liquid. "I love her…I miss her…I would have done anything for her…but despite all that….I don't know if I would take her back, even she begged."

She frowned a little. "She hurt you?"

Marshall swallowed the rest of the scotch in one mouthful. "Brandi, I appreciate it but I don't really want to talk…"

"Okay, sure…" She shrugged. "What should be talk about then?"

"Anything…" Marshall replied, signaling the barman for another drink. "How's Joey doing?"

Brandi broke into a wide grin and pulled out her cell phone, to show him photos. "Oh, he's just great…The best thing that's happened to me…"

Marshall forced a smile in return, as she scowled through her photo album. He finished his third drink even quicker than the first two because with the help of Brandi distracting him and the scotch, it just made the pain a little more bearable.

**TBC**

**Okay, some of you may know already but I really like Brandi and wished he had seen more of her with Marshall. I loved the end of Duplicate Bridge, where he's on the phone with her all…Also, the cut scene from Never the Bride when he's giving her advice about talking to Mary.**

**This is a friendship fic … but I would love you opinion! Please review and let me know. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, thanks to everyone who reviewed and added this to their lists! Please keep them coming! **

**Enjoy!**

**Unlikely Friendship **

Marshall didn't look away from his computer when he heard the door buzz but out the corner of his eye, he saw Mary walking towards her desk. He kept his eyes focused on the screen in front of him in hope she would just leave him to get on with his work.

He knew he was being unfair to her…They were meant to be friends and she wanted to help him but he just wanted to be left to deal with his recent break his own way. The scotch from the night before had left a dull throbbing in his head and he didn't know if he had the patience to handle Mary's attempts to get him to open up.

"So, you missed a great night last night…" Mary said lightly, shrugging off her jacket and placing her bag next to her chair.

Marshall glanced up and saw she wasn't even looking at him but instead at some new files that had been placed on her desk.

"Norah and I watched some cartoon thing and then had some pizza…Well, I did…She had a jar of string beans…Then we fell asleep around 9pm…" Mary finally looked up at him. "A real hardcore night…You may not have been able to keep up."

Marshall gave her a small smile. "Sounds like you had fun."

"Yeah, my life has become a real rock 'n' roll party…" She took her seat, letting out a huff then turned to him again. "So, anyway…Brandi went out last night…"

Marshall tensed, wondering whether she knew about the two of them staying at the bar until midnight talking. He wondered what her reaction would be if she did know…Would she even care?

"Jinx babysat for her and all she talked about over breakfast was how she could take Norah to give me a night off…" Mary continued. "So, what do you think?"

Marshall stared at her for a few seconds before shaking his head. "About Jinx babysitting? I dunno, I guess that's up to you…."

She rolled her eyes. "I mean, how about we hang out tonight? Just the two of us?"

"Oh…"

"It seemed to work for Brandi…She was all smiles when I saw her this morning…" Mary stated. "Figured I might get in on the action…"

"I don't know, Mare…" He said hesitantly.

"You don't know?" She repeated in surprise.

"Yeah, I mean Abigail and me just broke up…I'm not really ready…"

"Okay, wow….I was thinking just a few beers together… I wasn't asking you out on a date!" She interrupted quickly.

"What? No, I know…" He stuttered.

"But fine…" She started typing on her computer. "If you're not ready or whatever….We'll make it another time."

Marshall sighed, knowing he had hurt her feelings. A few months ago, he would have jumped at the chance of spending some time with his best friend but things were different between them now. He had put Abigail first because he was going to marry her and Mary understood that, she seemed happy for them. During his short-lived engagement, he became distant with Mary and he was now beginning to notice how difficult it was for the two of them to talk.

"Mare…" He started, wanting to explain that the reason he turned down her offer, not her but him when Stan choose that moment to walk out of his office.

"Mary, we need to go over these reports…" Stan told her and she got to her feet, happy for the chance to escape.

It didn't take long for them to finish the reports and when Mary went to leave the office, Stan stopped her.

"I was wondering if you've talked to Marshall at all…" The chief questioned.

"We work together…I always talk to him."

"I mean, about the break up." Stan turned back to her. "How's he doing?"

Mary shrugged. "He's not ready to talk about it."

"But do you think he's doing okay?" He questioned. "I'm worried about him."

"He's meant to be planning his wedding right now but he's not…It might take a while for him to get over it." Mary replied. "I don't know what you want me to say, Stan…He's upset, yes…But if he doesn't want to talk, I can't make him."

"Okay, you're right…" He agreed. "I was surprised when they called off the engagement…Did you know they were having problems?"

"No." She shook her head. "But then Marshall doesn't tell me anything, anymore…"

Stan was taken aback by that admission but before he could question it, she was already at the door.

"Are we done?"

"Yeah, sure…" Stan nodded, frowning.

He had noticed the distant between the two partners lately but he put it down to Marshall being busy with wedding plans but now he was beginning to wonder whether there was a bigger problem between the two.

He stood up and crossed the office, peering through the blinds to see Marshall's desk empty. He was concerned that his inspector wasn't coping too well but he didn't seem willing to accept a helping hand. It wasn't like Marshall to shut himself away from the others…That was Mary's act but Marshall had never let her get away with it.

Moving back to his desk, he picked up the phone to call Lea. They were meant to be having dinner tonight but he thought it might be a good idea to invite Marshall out for a beer; see if he could get the younger man to open up and help him move on.

_**XxXxX**_

Mary looked when a take-out bag was placed on her desk and saw Marshall was stood in front of her, also holding out a coffee.

"Lunch?" He offered with a small smile.

"I never turn down a free meal…" She dropped her pen, took the coffee with one hand and opened the bag with another.

"I'm sorry about earlier…" He told her. "It's not that I don't appreciate it but…"

"I get it…You're not ready." Mary finished off. "But I don't know what you think you need to be ready for….It's a beer between two friends…We talk, we drink, we laugh, and we have fun…"

"That's what I'm not ready for." He sighed, leaning against the edge of her desk at the side of her chair.

"Fun?" She questioned with a sandwich paused halfway to her mouth. "Marshall, you eventually have to move on…"

"If we drink and laughing and talking…then I'll end up talking about Abigail and me…"

"Is that so bad?" Mary asked. "I'm your best friend…You were there for me when Raph and I split."

"Mary, you didn't even tell me about your break up…I noticed your ring was gone." He remained her and then sighed. "I'm sorry…I don't mean to diminish our friendship but I don't want to talk about it…Not yet."

"You know can talk to me though, right?" She looked up at him, her eyes locking with his. "You can tell me anything…No matter what reason things ended between you two…You know I would be on your side….No matter what."

"I know…But it's not about that." He told her softly. "I really do appreciate it though."

"Just remember when you are ready, I'm here."

He gave her a small smile and nodded silently, suddenly getting a lump in his throat. He remembered saying those words to her not so long ago….Right before he chose Abigail over her.

Mary went back to her lunch, allowing the conversation to drop. She wanted to help Marshall and never considered herself very good at this sort of thing but she wanted to try. She thought back to her break up with Raphael and how she wanted to left alone for a while so she was willing to give Marshal that space for now.

_**XxXxX**_

The following week came and went without Mary mentioning them talking or having a night out again but it seemed that Stan had taken over that role, constantly checking up on him and inviting him out for a beer. Marshall wasn't sure what to make of the attention his boss was suddenly showing him. He was beginning to wonder if Stan had somehow found out what had happened between him and Abigail but unless she was going around telling people, it was impossible.

It was now Saturday and Marshall had taken the day off, wanting to avoid any more talk about his personal life in the office. The night before, he once again went to the bar but this time only stayed for one drink, after realizing the bartender knew him by name. He remembered his Grandpa always saying, that once they knew your name and what your order would be, then you were in trouble. He knew he didn't have a problem but he didn't like the path he was heading along. So, after one beer, he headed home for an early night. It was time to get on with his life and today, he was going to just enjoy himself by doing what he used to love before he met Abigail. He started off with a 10 mile run before heading to a small coffee shop that was in the local park. He brought a newspaper and settled at a table outside. He had just finished his coffee and contemplating getting another one when he looked up and saw Brandi pushing a strolling, looking lost.

"Brandi?" He frowned, getting her attention.

"Marshall?" She looked at him with surprise. "Hey…"

"You okay?" He questioned when she stopped in front of him but didn't stop looking around or fidgeting.

"Yeah, sure…"

"What's up?" He pressed. "You look like you're looking for something."

"I thought there was a bathroom around here…" She admitted, a little embarrassed.

Marshall laughed lightly and then nodded his head towards in the café. "There is one inside."

"Oh…" Brandi looked into the small crowded shop and then down at the stroller.

"Leave him here." Marshall offered. "I'll watch him."

"Are you sure?" She hesitated.

"Of course."

"I'll be two minutes." Brandi promised before rushing off.

Marshall looked down at Joey and typically, the minute Brandi was out of sight, the little boy started crying.

"Hey, shhh…" Marshall said softy, rocking the stroller gently but it didn't work so he quickly buckled him and lifted him out. "What's all the noise about, hey? See, nothing to worry about…Mommy will be back soon."

Joey's cries died now and he took a look around before his eyes settled on Marshall. He blinked a few times in confusion but then continued to take in the active that was going on in the park. Marshall held him a little closer and within a few minutes Brandi had returned.

"He started to cry…" Marshall explained, handing him over to her. "I hope you don't mind."

"No, its fine…He just likes to be noisy and have a look around, sometimes…" Brandi replied, lifting Joey up over her hand. "Don't- ya, Jo-Jo…"

Marshall couldn't help but smile as the baby laughed and then stuffed his fist into his mouth when Brandi bought him back down.

"He's got so big since the last time I saw him." Marshall commented; he had only seen him once before and that was right after he was born.

"He's trying to keep up with Norah." Brandi smiled, placing a kiss on the top of his head. "So, what are you doing here? Someone with a suspicious mind would think you were stalking me."

Marshall raised an eyebrow at that comment. "You're the one that keeps turning everywhere I go…"

"Says you…" She teased.

"I used to come here all the time." Marshall explained. "It's nice to sit and watch the world go by…What about you?"

"A friend invited me to tag along to a mother and baby group near here… Then we came for a walk." She bounced Joey a little. "I thought you'd be working today…Mary is."

"I decided to take the day off." He replied. "I'm getting a little bit tired of feeling sorry for myself, so I'm taking the day to sort some things out."

"I'm glad to hear it." She said. "I never took you one for someone who lets things get them down for too long…"

"I'm normally not." He looked ahead, eyes catching a mother pushing her son on the swing set, deep in thought.

"What was different this time?"

He snapped back to their conversation. "I don't know…I guess I let too much get on top of me."

Brandi nodded slightly as if she understood but she didn't, not really.

"I know you're not going to want to talk to me….I get that but can I tell you something?"

He looked at her and gave her small smile. "I doubt I could stop you…"

"Talk to someone." She continued seriously. "I never and look where it landed me…and I'm not just talking about my failed wedding…I'm talking about everything that ever happened in my life…I was never happy…I was always scared but I never did anything to change it…I never asked for help."

"Brandi…"

"I know Mary did everything she could for…I owe her my life but the reason she could never help me was because I never truly told her what was going on until it was too late… I know she thinks my life is a mess because she failed…" She paused for a second, looking down at her son before back at him. "I really don't think she could handle if she thinks she failed you too."

"It's not like that, Brandi." Marshall told her. "Mary doesn't need to fix me…"

"That doesn't matter." Brandi insisted. "If you need fixing then Mary is going to be first in line to do it…"

"I'm not hers to fix."

"Yeah, you are…Look. I cannot even began to understand your friendship…and to be honest I don't think you or Mary can explain it either but I do know that you're important to her." She told him. "I know she would willingly step onto the tracks in front of a speeding train for you…"

"She would do that for a lot of people."

"Yeah but aside from Norah and Joey, you're the only person she would do it for without bitchy and complaining about…You really don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?"

"You're the one person in this world that gets her…and you're the only she has let close enough to her." Brandi claimed. "If things have got on top of you and your struggling to cope with it all…Then talk to Mary…She can help you…And she will help because you're special to her…and she needs you more than you think."

Marshall was silent, thinking about what he had just heard. A lot of what Brandi had said was true and things he already knew. If she had said what she said years ago, long before Mary started dating Raphael, he would have agreed with her but since Mary's engagement, he started to think she didn't need him as much as he needed her.

"I should go." She stood up. "Just think about what I said, okay?"

"I will." He nodded, also getting to his feet.

Brandi strapped Joey back into his stroller and when she turned back to Marshall, she leaned up and kissed his cheek. "You're a good man, Marshall…Abigail was a fool to let you go."

"Right now I feel like the fool." He sighed.

"Well, don't because you're not."

"Thanks, Brandi."

She gave him a little wave before walking off. He watched her for a few minutes, before picking up his paper and heading in the direction of his car.

Any other day, when his mind had not been too preoccupied with so many things, he might have noticed that someone had been stood watching him for the last five minute… Someone who was not pleased at all with what they just witnessed.

**TBC**

**Please review and let me know what you think! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, thanks to everyone who has review! Please keep them coming!**

**Unlikely Friendship**

Marshall dropped down onto the hotel bed with a loud sigh. When the call came for an experience wit-sec inspector to be loaned to the Arlington office in Texas for a week he had jumped at the chance. Stan had been reluctant at first but had no reason to deny it and eventually approved it.

Marshall appreciated his boss' concern but if he was honest, it made him more eager to get away. It was bad enough knowing Mary was trying to figure out what happened between Abigail and him; he didn't want to have to worry about Stan to.

He had been thinking about Brandi had said to him three days ago in the park and he did agree with her about Mary's need to fix him. What he wasn't so sure about was if he wanted her to fix him.

They're relationship was always strong when there wasn't other people around. They were at their best before Mary got serious with Raph and then we were just getting back to normal when Faber turned up, then came Abigail. He wondered what it said about them, that they were better when they were both free and single.

He knew he had feelings for her…He used to think he was in love with her but after being with Abigail, he didn't know if he was anymore. In the past he would have given up everything just to have her in his life but now he had realized he wanted more, he wanted a marriage and kids…He had to work out if he was willing to give all that up for her because he was pretty sure she wasn't willing to give it to him.

He sat up again and rubbed his eyes, glancing at his watch and saw it was almost 9pm and he hadn't had any dinner. He knew he would have to go out to find food because the hotel didn't offer any room service but he really couldn't be bothered.

"Get it together…" He muttered to himself and stood up.

He decided to take a shower, hoping afterwards he would feel like getting some food but even the hot water didn't help his mood. So instead, he climbed into bed and turned off the lights. Since Abigail had left he struggled to sleep at the house…Maybe being here he would have better luck.

_**XxXxX**_

Marshall returned to Albuquerque late Friday night and was feeling a lot better than when he had left at the beginning of the week. He had realized that there was no point in living in a house that reminded him of how much of a failure his relationship had been, so he decided he was going to sell it. Fortunately, they had used his saving for the down payment and Abigail hadn't contributed to the monthly mortgage so he didn't have to worry about getting her approval or giving her a share from the sale.

The other thing he had decided on was he had to talk to Mary. There was no away he could make any decision without cluing her in on what was going on in his head. It wasn't fair to her…She hadn't done anything to deserve him pushing her out of his life and he didn't want to do that but if he carried on acting like he was, she was going to start thinking that was what he was doing.

Then there was the reason why he had been so eager to help out in the Arlington office…A reason he hadn't told anyone. He had heard there was an opening there and had been thinking about transferring. Being there for a week gave him chance to talk to a few people and find out what it was like.

He was tempted by the chance of a new start and it also meant he would be closer to his parents, who lived in Fort Worth but he knew he couldn't make that decision until after he talked to Mary and figured out where they stood. He owed her that.

He had been disappointed when he got to work on Saturday to find out she had told Stan, she wouldn't be in all weekend. He had wanted to speak to her right away before his got sucked back into a dark mood. He began to wonder whether she had already given up on him. He had to speak to her a few times while he was away because she was taking care of some of his witness and she seemed to off with him.

So, Sunday evening, after her not retuning any of his calls since he got back from Arlington, he headed over to her place; ready to make things right or at least gets everything out into the open.

When he got to her house, Brandi opened the door before he had chance to knock.

"You can't say now that it's me that's stalking you when you turn up at my house…" Brandi joked, trying to hide the fact she had been crying.

Marshall managed a small smile. "I came by to see Mary…"

"She's dropping Norah off at Mark's." Brandi replied.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sure…"

"Brandi…"

She sighed. "It's nothing…Mary and I had a fight…It's dumb…She's been irritable all week and we both just lost it today."

He looked down and saw that Joey was strapped into his car seat. "Are you on your way out?"

"I thought it's probably best if we weren't here when Mary got back…Give us both chance to cool down."

"Where are you heading?"

"Nowhere…Just going to drive around for a bit…Joey likes the car."

"Come on," He reached down and picked up the car seat. "Come back to my place for a little while."

"What? No, I can't do that." Brandi replied. "You've got plans..."

"Brandi, if you and Mary had an argument then the conversation I had planned probably won't go down to well with her right now." He said. "Besides, you helped me out last week…It's time for me to return the favor."

"Are you sure?" She questioned, following him to his truck.

"Yeah, what are friends for, right?"

She smiled slightly. "Thanks, Marshall…I really appreciate it."

_**TBC**_

_**So Marshall and Brandi are growing closer….What will Mary think and why is she so angry! Please review and let me know what you think! **_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I love that you all love a jealous Mary! Ha! Please keep reviewing, they make my day! **

**Enjoy!**

**Unlikely Friendship**

Marshall led Brandi into his house and they were immediately greeted by Oscar. After pointing her in the right direction for the bathroom so she could change Joey's diaper, he bent down to give the dog a fuss. He suddenly felt guilty for neglecting him over the last couple of weeks.

"I'm sorry, boy…" He crouched down. "You're the only one I truly trust right now, you know that?"

As if on cue, Oscar nudged Marshall's chin with his head causing him to laugh. He stood up and opened the back door so Oscar to get out into the yard and noticed his answering machine blinking.

"_Marshall? It's Dad…" _Marshall rolled his eyes, wondering why his father felt the need to tell him who he was every time he called, as if he wouldn't recognize his voice. _"I just called to say happy birthday for yesterday…Your mother did call but couldn't get hold of you…She's worried about you…" _

Marshall closed his eyes, gripping the counter as his Dad trailed off.

"_Listen I've been thinking, you should come home for a while…You've had a rough time and I think you should be here what with your Mom being…" _

There was another pause and Marshall knew what it was his Dad couldn't say.

"_Stan will let you have the time off…I can talk to him for you if you want." _

Marshall ran a hand through his hair. It must be bad if his Dad was willing to pull some strings for him.

"_Well, anyway call me back." _

The machine beeped again, telling him it was the end of the message.

"It was your birthday yesterday?"

He spun around and saw Brandi stood with Joey in her arms.

"Uh, yeah…" Marshall reached out and pressed the delete button.

"Mary never said…" Brandi frowned, knowing that Marshall liked to celebrate his birthday every year by going out for a meal with his friends and family. Even last year, Mary had made an effort even though she was pregnant and obviously felt uncomfortable around Abigail.

"It's no big deal." Marshall told her. "I wasn't in the mood to celebrate this year…"

"Because of Abigail?" She questioned and then hesitated. "Or your Mom…"

"Brandi." He cut her off. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." She shrugged.

"So, what happened with Mary?" Marshall asked, turning the conversation back to her.

Brandi sighed and followed him over to the couch. "Things just got out of hand…I guess, we both said some things we didn't mean or rather I said some things that I didn't mean, I don't know about her….She probably meant them."

"What things?"

"I told her that I got in contact with Joey's father." Brandi looked down and ran a hand through Joseph's blonde hair. "He doesn't want anything to do with us… I got upset."

"That's understandable…I'm sorry, Brandi."

"I just wanted Joey to have a dad…I didn't want him to be like me." She continued. "Always wondering."

"Well, sadly there are certainly enough children is this world who are fatherless…It's not unreasonable that you wanted you son to be one of the lucky ones." Marshall assured her. "What did Mary say?"

"She wasn't all that surprised and told me I shouldn't have been either…To be honest, I wasn't but I was still hoping…" She trailed off and then shook her head. "Then I said something about Mark and Dad…She kinda lost it then."

Marshall frowned, knowing that their father was still a very raw subject for Mary. "What kind of things?"

"Just that she was lucky because Mark is a good dad and she also has Joanna and you to help out….I didn't mean to cause trouble but she's been in such a crappy mood all week and she started ranting about how hard it was to be a Marshal and a Mom…Maybe I hurt her feelings because she has been great and I don't really need a guy around because I have Mary…"

"But?" Marshall prompted.

"I grew up without a dad…without even a memory of one and Mary very rarely talked about him and some of the stuff Mom says about him isn't that nice." She chewed her bottom lip. "He was a bastard…Everyone says so…Except Mary and Lauran and Scott…Which makes me think he was a good Dad...I missed out on that."

"'I've heard Mary call him a lot worse than a bastard in the past." Marshall added.

She looked to him. "And did you ever belief she meant it?"

He paused for a second before shaking his head. "No."

"She really lost it when I brought him up…Then I asked about when he died." She mumbled. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"She's still dealing with everything that happened…She's been waiting since she was seven years old for him to come back into her life and he finally did only to leave again."

Brandi nodded understandingly and cradled a now sleeping Joey closer to her chest. "You were there, right? When he was shot?"

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"There's not a lot I can tell you…There were some guys after him and they caught up with him…Mary was with him at the time and we were just too late to protect him." Marshall told her. "From all reports, he covered Mary…Stopped her from being hurt."

Brandi stared at him, she hadn't known that. "Really? Good…I'm glad."

"Me too." Marshall agreed.

"Do you think….?" She started to ask but then stopped, her eyes dropping back down to her son.

"What?"

"Nothing…"

"Brandi?"

She looked up at him. "Do you think he loved me?"

"He was your father, Brandi…"

"Doesn't mean a thing…" She shook her head. "Stephen is Joey's father and he doesn't give a damn."

"He didn't leave because of you…" He assured, guessing she had similar hang ups to her sister. "He left because staying would put you all in danger."

"So, now he's a hero? He saved us by abandoning us?"

"In a way, yes." Marshall shrugged. "I'm not condoning what he did…What he put you through but I cannot see how it would have worked out better if he'd had stayed or taken you with him, regardless whether his actions were selfish or not."

"Did you get to talk to him?" Brandi questioned. "Did he explain why he did what he did?"

Marshall sighed. "He said he did it to protect you all…and the same for the Griffins…He left when they were threatened."

"I just….I wish he didn't have this hold over us." She continued. "Mary has never got over him leaving and Scott was killed because of him…And even knowing all that, I still wished I had the chance to meet him and to get to know him."

"In some ways, you're lucky that you didn't know him." Marshall stated. "Like you said, Mary finds it difficult moving on from what happened…That guy that was there for her up until she was seven was different to the guy the FBI were after…The same goes with Lauren and Scott….Even when he came back, after all this time she still couldn't help but think of him as the man who used to tell her stories and take her on late night drives for ice cream."

"You think it's good I never had that?"

"You didn't have him placed on a pedestal that he constantly fell from…It is up to you, how you think of him because there is no memory of what may or may not have happened when you were young." Marshall said softly.

"I guess, that makes sense." Brandi nodded a little. "He could never disappoint me because I have no expectations of him."

Marshall smiled a little. "Exactly."

"I never thought about it that way…" She told him. "Are you close with your dad?"

He hesitated before answering. "We're closer than we both think we are…."

"What does that mean?"

"Mom always said we were so much alike even though in a lot of ways we're completely opposites." He explained. "Mom says that we both have the same goals, ambitions and ethics….We've just got different methods of achieving them."

Brandi noticed the frown on his face and how he looked away from he mentioned his mom. "Is she sick?"

"Cancer…" He mumbled. "She beat it ten years…It returned about eight months ago."

"I'm sorry, Marshall." She whispered, placing a hand on his arm.

"There's nothing more the doctors can do." He shrugged but had to swallow the lump that rose in his throat and blinked a few times to keep the tears away.

"Why are you here?" She asked. "Why aren't you with her?"

"I can't…"

"Why not?"

"Everything has fallen apart…I'm holding on by the tips of my fingers…" He admitted, his voice rough with emotion. "I can't see her…Not like that."

"What happened with Abigail?" Brandi questioned, feeling confident now that he had opened up a little. "What did she do to you?"

"She had been seeing someone else." He ran hand through his hair. "A guy who she used to work with before she got transferred here….They have history."

"She's a bitch, Marshall." Brandi stated. "She doesn't deserve you."

"She told me she was pregnant…" He whispered, finding it hard to keep quiet now he had started talking. "We didn't tell everyone because it was the first few weeks…but then…"

"What?"

"She told me she had a miscarriage but she never, she.…" He swiped a hand across his eyes. "She let me grieve for a child knowing that it might not even have been mine and that she was the one that killed it."

"Marshall, I don't know what to say…" Brandi knew she had done some terrible things in her life, she had hurt people she cared about and people that cared about her but she could not imagine putting someone through this.

"You want to know the really pathetic thing?" He sat forward, resting his head on his hands. "I beg her to stay…after she admitted it…I promised her I would do anything if she stayed…I even sat in front of the door, so she couldn't get past."

"Oh Marshall…"

"I just…My mom was so happy when I told her I was getting married…I didn't want to let her down."

"It wasn't your fault." Brandi tried to reason.

"I gave up everything for her…I pulled away from Mary…I looked into transferring to a different office…I even offered to quit my job." He pushed himself to his feet and started to pace. "I would have given her the world because I wanted to marry her…I wanted her to be my wife but it wasn't enough…I wasn't enough."

"Marshall…" Brandi quickly led Joey on the couch and stood also. She wanted to tell him that he was wrong and it was Abigail fault but she couldn't think of the right words that he would believe, so instead she hugged him.

He tensed when he felt her arms around him. He didn't hug back but he didn't pull either. His eyes closed and he tried to concentrate on breathing to get his heart rate to return to normal. When Brandi pulled back slightly to look up at him, he found it difficult to think properly but for the past three weeks he had been trying his hardest not to think at all. Before he realized what he was doing, he was leaning down towards her. When his lips were millimeters away from hers, Brandi stepped back and looked away.

Marshall stared at her as she bent down to see if Joey was still sleeping. He wondered whether she hadn't realized he had been seconds away from kissing her or if she was just pretending she hadn't noticed.

"I can't believe how late it's got." Brandi commented.

"Yeah…" Marshall shook his head, trying to clear it, suddenly realizing what a giant mistake he had just been about to make. "Sorry about that…"

Brandi only glanced at him before gathering Joey into her arms.

"Keeping you talking, I mean…" He stuttered a little. "I guess I needed to talk about it more than I thought I did."

"It's fine, Marshall…" She assured him. "I'm happy to listen…You're a good guy and been a good friend lately."

"You could stay here…" He offered, realizing she was getting ready to leave. "It's late and Joey's already asleep."

"I don't know…"

"The guest bedroom doesn't have a bed but you could take my room…"

"Where are you going to sleep?"

"Same place I've slept for the past three weeks." He nodded his head to the couch. "Honestly, I insist…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He replied. "It'll be nice to not be alone for a change."

Brandi thought about it for a few seconds before nodding once. "Okay."

Later that night, Brandi tiptoed down the hallway to get a glass of water, trying to be as quiet as possible so she didn't disturb Marshall. When she glanced into the living room, she was surprised to see him still awake. It was almost 4am and he was sat, staring blankly at the muted TV, a glass of scotch in his hand. She debated with herself whether she should go talk to him or not then decided against it. Although he had opened up to her tonight, it didn't feel right. She wasn't the one that could help him and she had a feeling that if she tried to comfort him, they would end up doing something they both regretted.

Marshall was a good guy and any girl would be lucky to have him but she knew that if anything happened between them, it would only be because they were both seeking comfort. There was no way they were suited for each other and although she was tempted, she knew it wasn't worth the risk.

Mary would never forgive her… She remembered her reaction to her friendship with Raph and she knew Marshall meant a lot more to her then him.

The old Brandi might not have cared about any of that. In the past, she had never set out to hurt anyone but also didn't give much thought about what damage her actions could cause.

She was different now…She had to change because she was a mom now. She wanted to be a better person…A better sister and a better friend.

As she crept back to bed, she thought about Marshall and she thought about Joey. What would she do if he was in the situation Marshall was? She didn't want to break his trust in her but she was beginning to see just how close to the edge he really was. She knew he was unsure about telling Mary all this and she wonder if it might be a good idea if she said something to her sister before it was too late.

**TBC**

**Okay, so a bit more of a closer look to what's been happening with Marshall. I hope I showed how much Brandi has and is trying to grow. Abigail's action might be a little extreme but honestly, how much did we really know about her? I hope they both weren't too out of character. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed or favorite this story! Please keep them coming! They make my day! I hope you like this…Things are starting to kick off in this chapter. Please let me know what you think! **

**Enjoy! **

**Unlikely Friendship**

When Mary arrived at the office the next morning, she wasn't surprised at all that Marshall was already at his desk. He had always beaten her to the office in the past but they had started to actually arrive at the same time once she had Norah. She found it easier to start early since she was always up at the crack of dawn anyway and it meant she could get most of her paperwork done, so she could finish sooner. That all changed after his break up with Abigail and Marshall had started to arrive a lot earlier. She glanced at her cell phone to check the time and saw it was still only 7:10am and judging from the pile of papers on his desk, he had been at it for a while.

She didn't pause or speak as she passed him but did get a close look at him and it looked like he hadn't slept at all; he looked terrible. She shook her head slightly and continued to her own desk. She knew she'd eventually have to talk to him if he didn't make the first move but right now she wasn't in the mood. Norah had refused to sleep longer than two hours at a time during the night but it didn't make much difference since Mary couldn't sleep either. Her mind had been racing over the events of the last week and her argument with Brandi.

When she got to her desk, she was surprised to see a cupcake in the center. It was pretty obvious it was from her partner but when she looked over to him again, his focus was still on his work. She sighed and sat down; pushing the cake to the side, deciding that she could leave whatever discussion they needed to have until lunch time.

Marshall knew she was looking at him, waiting for him to say something but he didn't. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even know why he brought the cupcake for her except he felt guilty. Guilty because he had confided in her sister instead of her. Guilty because he had not thought about their friendship when he considered making a move on Brandi. Guilty because he was pretty sure he would have to transfer offices now.

By the time everyone else had arrived, they still hadn't spoken at all. Stan tried to get a conversation started and they both were concerned when Marshall barely talked and when he did, it was only one worded answers. Delia had brought everyone muffins and coffees and after an hour, his was still sat untouched on his desk. To top everything off, his two older brothers were taking it in turns to call him. It had started every hour, and then went to every 30 minutes. Now it was down to every 10 minutes…He didn't have the guts to answer it.

"Mary…" Stan nodded towards his office, something had to be done.

Mary sighed loudly and pushed herself to her feet, knowing what he was going to say but as she crossed the office, someone banged on the door. She froze when she saw who it was and shot Marshall a look, her eyes widening a little.

Stan was first the react, stepping over and opening the door. "Detective, what I can I do for you?"

Marshall's head snapped up and spun around, his mouth falling open a little when he saw Abigail.

"My chief needed some paperwork brought over…" Abigail handed him a folder.

Stan glanced at her quickly. "This didn't require a personal delivery."

"I offered." Abigail looked towards her ex-fiancée. "There was something else I needed to bring by."

Everyone watched as she slowly walked over to his desk and held out an envelope.

"What this?" He stared at it.

"Happy birthday." She said softly. "I know it's a couple of days late…"

Mary looked to Stan quickly to see that he too had just realized they had forgotten Marshall's birthday. Mary wanted to push Abigail aside so they could make it up to him but she knew her partner would not appreciate that.

"Open it." Abigail let it fall from her hand to his desk.

Marshall sighed and ripped open the envelope, pulling out a brochure. "What this for?"

"It's for a bed and breakfast, just out of town…" She told him. "I thought maybe we could go away for the weekend…And talk."

Marshall stared at the brochure for a few seconds before back her. "Talk?"

"Yeah…" She nodded. "I've….I've missed you."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Mary!" Stan hissed.

"Marshall, don't be crazy!" Mary sent Abigail a glare before focusing on her partner, who was still looking at the leaflet.

Abigail returned her glare and then placed a hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention. "Let's get some lunch…We can talk about this properly."

"I…uh…I'm pretty busy." Marshall shrugged her hand off him. "I haven't got time."

"Marshall, please…Just five minutes."

Marshall turned his eyes to his boss and partner, hoping one of them would come up with an emergency to get him out of it.

"The conference room is free." Stan supplied, misreading his look.

Marshall sighed and forced himself to his feet, stalking towards the room, not bothering to wait for Abigail but knew she was right behind him.

"Stan!"

"Mary…Whatever happened between them, they need to talk about it." Stan held up his hands in defense. "This can't go on like this…Marshall can't go on like this."

"He needs to stay away from her." Mary pointed angrily to where the couple had disappeared. "He needs to move on and get back to normal!"

"You're right but the only way for him to do that is to get some kind of closure from their relationship." Stan added softly.

"Yeah but…"

"But what?"

Mary sighed. "I just wish he would talk to me…So I know how to fix it for him."

"You can't fix everything for everyone, Mary." Stan told her, patting her arm. "No matter how much you want to."

"I forgot his birthday…" She whispered.

"Me too." Stan rubbed his eyes. "I can't believe I did…"

Before Mary could answer the conference door flew open again and Marshall walked out, back towards his desk.

"Marshall, please…" Abigail trailed behind him. "Just wait a minute…"

"Abigail, forget it." He placed his hands on the edge of his desk, his back still to her. His cell phone caught his eye when it lit up and he saw his brother's name again. He cancelled the call and shoved his phone into his jeans' pocket.

"Please, you owe me…"

He spun around quickly, eyes blazing at her words. "I owe you?!"

"Marshall…"

"You left me, Abigail….I begged you to stay…I was going to give up everything for you…anything you wanted but you still walked out!" He exclaimed. "Don't you dare stand there and tell me I owe you anything!"

"I made a mistake."

"Yes, you did." He nodded in agreement. "I would have given you the world…just to make you happy."

"Marshall…"

"It's over." He said firmly. "I'm selling the house…I'll have the rest of your stuff boxed up and sent to you."

"You're selling the house?" Mary cut in. "Where are you going to go?"

Marshall looked over to her in surprise; he had forgotten they were there.

"It's true, isn't it?" Mary continued. "You're leaving…"

"What?"

"I saw the transfer information on your computer last week…That's why you were so eager to go to Arlington to help out…It's because you're moving there, aren't you?"

He blinked a few times, not sure how to reply to that. He knew he couldn't deny it but he wasn't quite ready to give up and admit his life in New Mexico was over. At least now he knew why she had been in such a bad mood and why she avoided his calls.

"Marshall, you can't leave." Abigail begged. "Please, I'll do anything…"

"There's nothing you can do…" Marshall said hoarsely. "We're done."

"What about Oscar?"

"What about him?" Marshall narrowed his eyes at her. "He's staying with me."

"He was my dog too!"

"You want him?" He questioned before continuing bitterly. "Why? Because you would make such a great Mom?"

Abigail eyes widened at his words; she knew he said it to hurt her and it worked. Before she could stop herself she slapped him hard across the face.

"Hey!" Mary exclaimed, crossing the office quickly and pushing her back forcibly, standing between her and Marshall.

"Detective, I think it's about time you go." Stan said coolly. "And in future it might be best if you kept a distant from this office and my team."

"I can't believe you said that…" Abigail whispered tearfully. "I never thought you could ever be that hateful."

"I've been stepped on, pushed and stabbed in the back too many times…" He said lowly. "Everyone has their limits…I've reached mine…Congratulations on being the one who got in the finale shot to push me over the edge."

Abigail wiped a hand across her eyes, brushing away the tears and stood up a little straighter. "Didn't take you long though, did it?"

"What?"

"To replaced me…"

"Replace you?" He repeated. "Are you insane? Are you going to seriously try to make me feel guilty, to turn the blame on me when you're the one that was screwing around behind my back?"

"You're not denying it…" She continued but turned her attention to Mary, who was still in between them. "You know, I thought you'd have a problem with it too…I mean, you couldn't stand the idea of me with him…"

"Detective Chaffee, I suggest you shut up and get the hell out of this office before I remove you myself." Mary glared at her. She knew the younger woman was looking for a fight and the mood Mary was in, she would quite happily participate.

"What's the matter, Marshall?" Abigail looked past her again. "She still not giving it up, so you're getting it from her sister?"

"You need to leave!" Mary raised her voice. "NOW!"

"You don't believe me?" Abigail raised an eyebrow. "Ask him…Ask him about the cozy Saturday afternoon walks in the park, playing happy families… Or ask your sister where she slept last night."

Mary wanted to stand her ground, wanted to show Abigail that she didn't believe or care about what she was saying but Brandi had stayed out all night and refused to tell her where she was. Then there was the fact that Marshall was silence, not confirming but not denying.

"Tell her, Marshall…" Abigail prompted when she saw Mary glance back at her partner; determined that she wouldn't be the only one hurting today.

"It's none of your business…" Marshall told her, not wanting to give her the satisfaction in knowing she probably just destroyed the most important relationship in his life. "My life has nothing to do with you anymore…"

Silence fell over the office and Marshall continued to look at Abigail, purposely avoiding Mary but after a few seconds who couldn't help but glance at her. She looked confused and completely betrayed. He felt tears burn in his eyes and his stomach flipped; he was grateful he hadn't eaten or he would have thrown up. His phone was continually buzzing in his pocket and he wanted nothing more than to smash to the ground.

"Marshall…" Stan stepped forward, noting how pale his inspector had suddenly gone.

Marshall jumped when Stan touched his arm but then quickly pushed passed his boss, heading for the exit.

"Marshall!" Stan called out to him but he didn't stop.

He turned back to Mary…Any other time he would have followed him but he was torn. Marshall probably needed a bit of a space and someone needed to make sure Mary didn't shoot Abigail.

"Delia." Stan knew she had been watching discreetly from the other side of the office. "Can you escort Detective Chaffee out?"

"You got it, Chief…" Delia hurried over to them and Stan watched with pride as she grabbed Abigail's arm a little too roughly and led her away.

"Mary…" Stan started when the door closed behind them.

"I can't believe this…" She muttered shaking her head. "I can't believe he would…with…"

"Mary, you don't know the facts…"

"Oh I know the facts alright!" She said, anger quickly replacing shock.

"Where are you going?" Stan questioned as she grabbed her bag and stormed towards the door.

"To kill my sister!"

**TBC**

**Aw, I do love a cliffhanger… Please let me know what you think! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Please keep them coming!**

**Enjoy!**

**Unlikely Friendship**

Mary opened her front door with so much force that it banged loudly against the wall but she didn't care.

"Brandi?!" She shouted as she stormed through the house.

"Mary?" Jinx rushed towards her, her voice low. "The kids are asleep."

"I don't care!" She snapped. "Where's Brandi?!"

Her sister appeared. "What's going on?"

"What the hell were you thinking?" Mary glared at her. "What is the matter with you?!"

"What are you talking about?" Brandi frowned.

"I'm talking about Marshall! I'm talking about my best friend…my only friend!" Mary continued to shout. "Why couldn't you just leave him alone…?"

"Mary…"

"Is this true?" Jinx looked at her youngest daughter. "You and Marshall?"

"It's Raphael all over again." Mary threw her hands in the air. "You always have to have what is mine…You have to ruin everything!"

"That's not fair…"

"But I'm telling you now, I won't let you do this…I won't let you wrack what I have with Marshall." Mary cut in again. "He is way out of your league…he's too good for you and I won't let you chase him away."

Brandi stared at her and felt tears burning in her eyes at the words.

"Mary, that's enough." Jinx stepped between the two of them. "I don't know what's going on but you need to let your sister explain…"

"Oh, I already know…Detective Chaffee took great pleasure in telling me and everyone else at the office as well."

"Abigail?" Brandi frowned. "Marshall saw her?"

"Yeah, she stopped by and told us all about your park dates and how you spent the night with Marshall." Mary continued. "But this is the only warning you're going to get, Brandi….Do not take advantage of Marshall…I will not let you hurt him when he's already vulnerable…"

"I'm not…"

The sound of Norah's crying made them all fall silent and look towards her bedroom.

"Oh great…" Jinx sighed and went to go to tend to her.

"No, I'll go." Mary stopped her and stalked off.

Brandi bite her bottom lip in worry…She had planned on talking to Mary when she got home about Marshall. She had a feeling she wasn't going to too thrilled about them spending time together but she had hoped she would overlook that and focus on Marshall.

"Are you going tell me what's going on?" Jinx asked her.

"Can you look after Joey?" Brandi ignored her question, grabbing her car keys off the table.

"Where are you going?" Jinx followed her to the door.

"I need to find Marshall….Make sure he's okay." She replied. "I'll explain everything later."

"Brandi?!" Jinx called after her but she never stopped.

**XxXxX**

Brandi walked into the bar where she had run into Marshall a few weeks before; taking a chance he might go back there and was relieved to see him sat at the bar.

"Hey…" She said as she sat beside him.

He glanced at her quickly before looking back to his scotch. "I guess you heard about what happened…."

"Yeah…" She said slowly. "Mary not to happy."

Marshall sighed and propped his head up with his hands and gripped his hair. "God, I'm sorry….I should have said something…I should have warned you or set Mary straight."

"Its okay, Marshall…" Brandi led her hand on top of his free one.

"Mary is going to hate me." He mumbled.

"Hey, if it makes you feel better, she's angry at me, not you." Brandi said, trying to lighten the mood.

"It doesn't." He answered. "I shouldn't have dragged into my mess…"

"You didn't drag me anywhere…" Brandi started to say but stopped when his cell rang on the bar. She watched as he glanced at the caller ID before cancelling the call. "But Mary wants to help you, Marshall…She would do anything for you…Maybe you should let her."

Marshall stayed silent and turned his gaze back down to his drink, thinking about what she said.

Brandi watched him cancel another call. "What's going on? Who are you avoiding?"

"My brothers…They keep calling."

"Your brothers?" She frowned. "Marshall, something I could be wrong…You should take that call."

"I can't…"

"Marshall…"

"I can't." He said more firmly.

Brandi didn't know what do. She wanted to call Mary and ask for help but she was pretty sure her sister would not take her call right now. When she saw Marshall lifting the glass of scotch, she reached out and took it off him.

"Brandi…"

"No." She set it down and grabbed his hand. "Let's go."

"What? Go where?" Marshall questioned as Brandi pulled him towards the exit.

"I'm taking you home." She told him. "Someone needs to take care of you for a change and right now I'm the only one here to do it."

"Brandi…"

"I know, you're probably thinking I'm last person on earth but I'm a mother now…I can do this." She assured him and smiled at him. "Trust me….I know what I'm doing."

_**XxXxX**_

Mary slammed cupboard doors and drawers as she cleaned the kitchen. The fact that it wasn't even her mess made her even angrier.

"Mary, you need to calm down…" Jinx told her from the doorway. "You'll wake Norah again."

"Just leave me alone, Mom."

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation." Jinx entered the room fully. "Brandi would never…"

"Brandi would never what?" Mary questioned as she spun around to face her. "She would never try and steal someone away from me?"

"Mary…"

"I'm not losing, Marshall…I'm not going to let that happen."

"What are you really angry at? That Brandi is spending time with your friend or that you're not."

"What?"

"Brandi is your sister, Mary and you are willing to throw her aside for Marshall." Jinx continued. "She has certainly done enough in the past to make you do that but you never have…you've always stood by her, yet now…"

"Marshall is the only person that has all been there for me, no matter what." Mary replied, defensively. "Brandi ruins everything she touches…I'm not going to stand by and watch her do that to Marshall and to my friendship with him."

Jinx sighed. "I just think…"

"Think what?"

"He's a good man…He's smart, funny generous, good looking and he's such a sweet man…" Jinx said softly. "If not Brandi, then I'm sure he'll meet someone else…"

"So?"

"So, you've got to work out why that bothers you so much….You hated it when he was with Abigail."

"Marshall is my friend…"

"The only person who has been there for you, no matter what." Jinx repeated what she said earlier. "I think it's been too long, sweetie….You need to figure out what you truly feel for him…Before it's too late."

A knock on the door saved Mary from replying and she quickly escaped the room to answer it. She frowned when she found Stan stood on her doorstep.

"Stan?"

"Have you spoken with Marshall?" He asked when she stepped aside to let him in.

"Not since the office…What's going on?"

"I got a text message from him, saying he was taking some time off."

"Well, I guess that's understandable." Mary folded her arms.

"That's what I thought…" Stan nodded. "But when I tried calling him, he wouldn't answer and I replied to his message asking when he was coming back, he said he didn't know…"

"Where is he now?" She asked.

"I don't know... his cell is turned off…"

"That's not like, Marshall…I'm worried, Stan."

"Me to…"

The door opened again and Brandi stepped in.

"Where have you been?" Mary asked immediately. "What the hell has been going on?"

"I went and looked for Marshall…"

"Do you know where he went?" Stan cut in before Mary had chance. "Did you find him?"

She nodded. "He was at the bar, drinking…"

"Marshall doesn't drink this early…" Mary started to say.

"He's been drinking a lot lately." Brandi explained and started to tear up. "He's….God, Mary he's really in a bad way."

"Do you where is he now?" Stan asked.

"He's gone home…" She told them.

"I'm going over there…" Mary reached for her keys.

"Home to Texas." Brandi stopped her. "I just put him on a plane."

"What?"

"He's mom is really sick…she's dying and he needs to be there." She explained. "He needs to be with his family."

"His mom?" Mary stared at her in surprise. Marshall hadn't said anything about his mom being ill and she knew how close the two of them were.

"I'm sorry, Mary… I never wanted to make you angry." Brandi claimed. "We ran into reach other a few weeks back and got talking… Then when I took Joey to the park, I saw him again."

"And last night?"

"I needed a friend." She claimed. "We talked but nothing happened…Nothing would ever happen."

"Brandi…"

"Here…" Brandi pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to her.

"What is it?"

"A plane ticket…I picked it up at the airport for you." Brandi told her. "He needs you Mary…"

She stared down at it in surprise. "I can't just drop everything…"

"Between me, Mom and Mark, we can take care of Norah, you don't have to worry." Brandi stated. "Marshall needs you, Mary…He's really needs some help."

Mary looked up at her and then to Stan. "I need to take some vacation time…"

"Go." Stan said softly.

She didn't need to be told twice and ran to her bedroom, to grab her bag.

**TBC**

**Aw! I actually feel sorry for Brandi… Please review and let me know what you think! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to review! Please keep them coming! They mean the world to me! **

**Enjoy! **

**Unlikely Friendship**

Mary slowly got out of the taxi outside of the Mann's house and after shoving the exact right amount of bills into the driver's hand, Mary stared at the house. She spent the whole flight trying to figure out what to say to her partner and had realized she still didn't really know the whole story. She knew from the argument in the office that Abigail had cheated on him and she knew his mom was ill but that was it. She now wished she had talked to Brandi properly instead of shouting at her. She slowly made her way towards the driveway and couldn't help but think how beautiful the house was. She stopped halfway there when she noticed someone sat on the porch. She hesitated for a second before continuing. As she got closer, she saw it was Seth and not Marshall.

"Mary?" Seth stood up to greet her. "I didn't know you were coming…"

"I wanted to make sure Marshall was okay…" Mary replied as she reached the steps of the porch. "Sir, I'm so sorry to hear about you wife."

Seth shrugged and looked down. "We knew it was coming…"

"Doesn't make it any easier, though does it?"

"No." Seth sighed. "No, it doesn't."

"If there is anything I can do…"

"Thanks…" Seth cut her, having hearing that phrase too many times lately. "Listen, I'm glad you're here…I'm worried about Marshall."

"Me too." Mary nodded. "He's in a pretty bad way."

"I have always been 100 per cent against violence towards women but after what that woman has done to him…" He trailed off, his voice rough.

"She's not worth it." Mary told them. "And I'm going to make sure she goes nowhere near him again."

Seth nodded a little. "I am meant to be spending the night at the hospital with Rose but I didn't want to leave Marshall…."

"Go." Mary replied. "I'll be here."

"His brothers were going to stop by later…"

"It's okay…They don't have to unless they want to."

"I'll call them." Seth replied. "Maybe it's best if people don't crowd him right now."

Mary hesitated before asking the next question. "Has he spoken to you at all?"

"Not really, not since we found out how ill Rose is…I think he doesn't want to bother us." Seth sighed. "All I know was a few weeks back, he was incredible excited because…"

"Because?" Mary prompted.

"Because he was going to be a Dad." Seth replied. "I know it's something he's wanted for a long time but he won't talk about it…He won't tell me what happening…If she was having an affair then there's a chance the baby's not his…"

Mary stayed silent, letting trying to take in the new information. She knew Seth was right when he said that Marshall wanted a child for some time now even though he had never admitted it. She watched with the children that came into Wit-Sec…She watched him with Norah. He would make a great Dad.

"Has he been drinking?" Mary questioned.

"No." Seth shook his head. "He's up in his old room…Said he was tired and wanted to get some sleep."

"Okay…" Mary nodded, looking towards the house again.

"I better get going." Seth replied. "Marshall's bedroom is on the third floor…There's a couple of guest rooms up there too…The two of you can the floor to yourself."

"Oh no…I can stay in a hotel…"

"Mary, please…I'm too tired to argue." Seth cut her off. "Just stay here."

"I don't want to get in the way."

"You won't." Seth assured her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. "If you need to get hold of me, you can reach me on this number."

"We'll be fine." Mary took the card anyway.

Seth nodded and then moved towards the steps of the porch. Mary watched him walking to his car and stayed where she was until he had pulled out of the driveway. She sighed and rubbed a hand over her face.

"Get it together, Shannon…" She muttered to herself.

She let herself into the house, dropping her bag next to the door before making her way to the stairs. The first flight was fine but as she walked to the second set of stairs, she felt her pace grow slower. She suddenly realized that Marshall might not want her here…He hadn't confided in her and maybe there was a reason for that. When she reached the top, she stopped. She tried to think about the times she had to be the strong one in their relationship in the past…Her first memory was when he had been shot. She had to figure out a way to get them to safety…But then it was Marshall that had been calm and talked her through the procedure to save his life. Then there was when Norman Baker killed himself…He was Marshall's witness…Marshall's friends but afterwards, it was him that drove them back to New Mexico…Him who dealt with Brandi's questions for her. He had been upset after learning that Raphael knew she was a Wit-Sec inspector and she used her shooting to the brush it all under the carpet. She had constantly done that throughout their friends…whenever he showed his feelings; she ignored them or changed the subjected until they went anyway. No wonder he didn't come to her for help.

She knew she had to make a choice now…She knew had to be whatever Marshall needed or she needed to walk away. It would only make things worse for him if she couldn't be there for him fully.

Before she had time to make her decision, she looked up and saw him through a half open door. She took a few quiet steps forwards and leaned on the door frame. He was turned away from her; sat on the wooden window seat, looking out.

"It seems wrong…" He whispered, breaking the silence.

She stood up straight in surprise when he spoke. "What does?"

"The sun…" He answered, still not turning to face her. "It feels like it should be raining…a big storm or something."

"Marshall…" She started to walk into the room.

"I saw you talking to Dad…" He continued. "It took you longer then I thought to get up here."

"I was thinking." She told him, sitting down on the side of the bed that was closest to him. "If you want to be alone…"

"You didn't have to come." He spoke the same time as her.

"I did." She replied. "You're my friend…"

"But Norah..."

"She's fine." She assured him.

"I'm sorry." His head fell against the window with a thud.

"For what?"

"For hiding…For running."

"I don't blame you…" She told him and thought back about Seth had said. "It's what you do…What you've always done….And not because you're scared or because you don't trust people but because you don't want to bother people…But Marshall, you have to know, I'm here for you…No matter what, okay?"

He swallowed the lump that rose in his throat. "They're letting my mom come home tomorrow."

"Well, I'm sure she's going to be happy to see you…"

"She's coming home to die."

Mary was surprised to feel tears burn in her eyes. "I know."

"She's my mom, Mare…" He cried. "I don't know what to do."

She pushed herself off the bed and pulled his legs off the window seat so she could sit beside him. She reached up and gently turned his face so he was looking at her with one hand and grabbed his hand with the other.

"I know you're hurting…I know you are…And I would anything to stop it but I can't…" She squeezed his hand. "I also know how much your mom means to you and although I never met her before, I know how much you mean to her…She's worried about you, Marshall… We all are…"

Guilt washed over his face and Mary instantly regretted her words but continued.

"What you need to do if forget about everything else…Just be here…Be here with your mom and remember the good times….I know you, I know you'll never forgive yourself if you don't."

He blinked back the tears and nodded a little in agreement.

"So, here's what we're going to do….You're going to go shower while I go look for food." She stood up pulling him with her. "Then afterwards if you want to talk then we can talk…If not, we don't have to."

"I don't deserve this…" He whispered roughly.

"No…You deserve so much better." She said softly.

"Mare…"

"Just let me do this, Marshall…Let me take care of this." She cut in. "Let me take care of you."

He stared down at her silently, before nodding. "Okay."

She smiled. "Okay, go shower."

He did as he was told but stood at the door to look back. "Thanks, Mare…"

"Hey, what are friends for?"

He smiled slightly and Mary started to wonder when the last time she saw him smiling. She sighed and sat back down on the bed. She knew it was going to be a tough couple of days but she was determined to be there for her partner.

**TBC**

**Please review! **

**I know there have been some site problems and people haven't been able to open new chapter or review! I'm hoping it's fix now though, so please review! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, sorry it's taken so long to update! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Please keep them coming! **

**Enjoy!**

**Unlikely Friendship**

Marshall slowly made his way down the stairs, trying to get his head around everything that had happened. The shower had helped clear his thoughts slightly and he realized how far he had let everything get. He had wanted to deal with everything on his own; it was his mess and he wanted to fix it but now he realized he couldn't. He needed help…He needed his best friend.

Fortunately she was there stood in the kitchen making dinner. He leaned against the doorframe and just watched her moving around. He knew he would have to tell her everything even though it was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Stop it." Mary broke his train of thought.

He frowned and pushed himself away from the door to enter the room fully. "Stop what?"

"Over thinking everything." She turned to face him. "I thought we agreed that you wouldn't do that…That you would concentrate on your mom."

"Mare…" He ran a hand over his face. "It's not fair…"

"No, it's not." She said softly. "I know how much she means to you…"

"Not that…well, that's not fair either but I was talking about this…about you."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't expect you to be here for me after the way I've treated you lately."

"Marshall…"

"I'm sorry." He cut her off.

"It's not a big deal." She shrugged turning back to the food. "You didn't do anything to hurt me… You just weren't ready to talk and didn't want to…trust me, I know how that is."

"But…"

"Marshall, seriously…I understand."

"Really?"

"Yes."

He fell silent, knowing that it wasn't that simple and that there was no way their talk was finished with but it seemed that Mary was just as reluctant to talk about it then he was. He knew Mary and knew it meant one thing; she was hurting and wanted to hide it. He suddenly felt sick, knowing he was the one that hurt her.

"Marshall?"

He looked up and found her stood in front of him. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Why don't you take these through and I'll bring the rest." She held out two bowls.

"Soup?"

"It was the only thing I could find that had the instructions on the packet." She said lightly with a shrug.

Marshall couldn't help but smile a little. "I could have cooked something…"

"Soup will do." She told him. "Go sit down."

He took the bowls and did as he was told. He placed them both on the coffee table in front of the couch and turned on the TV before taking a seat. Flicking through the channels, he settled on some cop movie that was playing but turned the volume right down. He was beginning to get a headache and was already finding it hard to think straight.

"What we watching?" Mary asked, dropping down beside him, passing him a spoon and a can of soda.

"I don't know…some movie." Marshall replied, looking down at the soda.

"What?" Mary eyed him as she picked up her bowl of soup. "Fancied a beer instead?"

He looked up at her quickly. "What? No, soda is fine."

"Good then…" Mary replied. "Eat your soup, it's getting cold."

Marshall sighed softly and set the soda down. They ate in silence and although she never looked at him directly, Marshall could she was still watching him.

"You done?" She asked, reaching to take his empty bowl but he held it out her way.

"What did you mean?" He questioned. "About the beer…What did you mean?"

She sat back down and looked him right in the eye. "It's been brought to my attention that you may have been drinking a lot more than usual, lately."

"And you think I have a problem?"

"Do you?"

He was the one to break eye contact, looking down at his hands as he swallowed. "It didn't work…"

"What didn't?"

"Drinking…" He answered. "People say they drink to forget…to escape what was happening but it didn't work…"

"Marshall…" Mary sighed took hold of one of his hands but he pulled away.

"It was still there…the memories were still there…the pain was still there…the only difference was that I felt sicker…and in the morning, I felt even worse."

"So, you're not cut out to be an alcoholic…You can't be good at everything."

"Mary…" He rolled his eyes.

"Look, you've been through a rough time…So what if you haven't handled it perfectly." She continued. "But what you do need to realize is that there are people who want to help you…Remember what you said when Mia died, when I said I should go alone…"

"I asked why when I was there."

"Exactly and I am here, Marshall…I may not have shown it much in the past but I do want to help you."

He frowned. "Mary, you're my best friend…You have been for almost 10 years…I know you would do anything for me."

"But you would never ask, would you?" She said softly. "If there was something you needed, you would never ask…Why?"

"You have enough to deal with." He answered. "You feel responsible for a lot of people in your life…I'm not adding to the list."

"This is different, Marshall." She told him. "None of this was your fault…You didn't do anything to make your mom sick and nothing you did could justify what Abigail did to you."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't help matters."

Mary narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't you try and cover for her, Marshall."

"I pushed for too much too quickly." He answered. "I freaked her out."

"I don't give a damn." She threw her hands in the air. "You were in love…You knew you wanted to spend your life with her and didn't want to waste time."

He looked across at her. "I set a wedding date solely based on the knowledge that my mother might not live longer than six months."

"I've heard worse reasons to get married." Mary shrugged. "You loved her and if she truly loved you, she would have understood."

"That's the problem though, isn't it?" He sighed. "She didn't love me…not enough anyway or she wouldn't have done this."

"You don't seem very angry about it." Mary commented.

"I've been angry…" He replied. "I've been upset…depressed…lonely…"

"So, what are you now?"

"Tired…" He answered weakly. "I'm just so tired of everything."

She nodded a little. "I can understand that."

He let his head fallback against the couch and stared up at the ceiling. She looked at him closely and wondered why she hadn't noticed how dark the circles under his eyes were and how his clothes looked too big for him.

"I'm tired…" He said again, rolling his head to look at her.

"I know…" She turned her attention back to their conversation.

"So, if we're going to talk, you're going to have to do most of the work…"

"Talk?" She repeated. "We're already are talking."

"You know what I mean." He claimed. "You want to avoid it as much as me…"

"Then what's the problem?" She questioned, standing up and grabbing their empty bowls in an attempt to escape to the kitchen. "We both get what we want…"

"Except it'll come back to bite us in the ass later." Marshall closed his eyes. "We don't have to talk, Mare…but the reason we keep ending up here…one of us hurting and the other not knowing what to do to make it better is because we are never honest with each other about this."

"Now is not the time…" She started to walk away. "You've had a rough time and you need to worry about your mom…not us."

"Mary…"

"And this, Marshall is me knowing how to make it better." She glanced back at him. "It's time you started putting yourself first…that's the solution."

She disappeared before he had chance to reply and after placing the bowls on the counter, she put her hands down on it and hung her head. She took a few deep and closed her eyes. She knew Marshall wanted her to take control of the conversation because he had been through too much lately but she didn't know if she could. She didn't know think she was capable of being able to open up.

After a few minutes, she pushed herself to stand up straight and looked back towards the door. If she was honest was had been expecting Marshall to follow her and take charge. She sighed and rubbed her forehead, trying to figure out what to do that wouldn't end in a fight.

She groaned loudly and headed back out the kitchen but she surprised to find Marshall standing up.

"I'm going to bed…." He told her. "I'm sure you'll be able to find anything you need…"

"Why are you angry with me?"

He sighed. "I'm not…"

"Doesn't sound like it." She crossed her arms. "Just because I refuse to complicate everything by bringing up some nonexistence problems…"

"Nonexistence?" He repeated, turning back to face her.

"Yeah, we're fine when it's just the two of us...Things only get messed up when other people get involved." She stated. "When they think they know us or what we're about."

"Don't you think that's a problem?" He asked. "That our friendship can only work when neither of us is involved with someone else?"

"No, I think people should accept us for who we are and mind their own business."

"Mary…"

"What?" She threw her hands in the air. "Do you agree with them? Do you think we're too close? Inappropriate?"

He opened his mouth and then closed it again. He swallowed hard before answering. "At times…Yes."

Her arms fell to her side and stared at him. "Oh…"

"You know what, you were right." He added quickly. "This is a bad idea."

"Yeah…" She nodded slowly. "We should get some sleep."

He continued to look at her but he lost his nervous and after a few seconds, turned and left the room.

Mary slowly sat down on the couch and covered her face with her hands. She knew she was way out of her depth.

**TBC**

**Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, thank you all so much for the reviews. I really appreciate them, please keep them coming! **

**Enjoy! **

**Unlikely Friendship**

Mary couldn't sleep; her conversation with Marshall still replaying on her mind. He had finally reached the point where he had had enough. If she was honest, she had to agree that their relationship was inappropriate at times but they always seemed to make it work. They always seemed to understand what the other was thinking or what they meant even without words. She stuck by her statement that they were fine until other people got involve. The problem was that other people did get involved and because of that, they both got hurt. Mary because she had to take a step back from her best friend and Marshall because he had fallen in love then got his heart broke.

After two hours of tossing and turning, Mary had given up and rolled out of bed. She tried to be quiet as she moved past Marshall's bedroom but stopped when she noticed a light on. When she glanced inside, she saw he was sat on the window seat again. Their conversation from earlier flashed through her mind and she could hear a small voice (sounding a lot like Shelly Finkel) telling her, that was the reason she couldn't sleep. Marshall always managed to get underneath her skin in ways that no one else could. He made her think about things, made her think twice about her choices.

The mature part of her brain, told her that they needed to fix things now because as soon as Marshall's mom arrived home tomorrow, everything would be put on the back burner. Mary didn't mind that, she lived for avoiding emotional and personal conversation but she knew that if they didn't talk now, then they would probably continue to ignore it. She reluctantly decided that wasn't an option….Their friendship was too important.

"Can't sleep?" She asked, softly as she stepped into the room.

Marshall jumped a little startled before turning to look at her. "I haven't been sleeping a lot lately…"

"Jesus, Marshall…" She whispered. "How did it get this bad? How did it get this mess up?"

"What? My sleep habits?"

"No…well, yes, kinda…" She moved to sit on the bed. "I should have noticed…I mean, I knew you were upset…I know you were struggling but I never knew it was this bad."

Marshall sighed. "I didn't want you to know…I hid it."

She stood back up and walked over to him, reaching and taking his hand.

"Mary?" He looked at her questionable when she pulled him to her feet.

"Just forget…" She led him to the bed. "For tonight just forget."

Marshall continued to frown when she climbed onto the bed, pulling him with her.

"What's going on?"

"I know things are messed up but I'm here for you, no matter what…and I know you're here for me no matter." She answered. "So, let's just be here for each other…"

"Mary…"

"Can we just lie down? Try and sleep." She suggested.

He sighed, letting her pull him down beside her and then she brought his arm around her.

"I'm sorry." He whispered after a few minutes of silence.

Mary tensed slightly at the sound of his voice. "What for?"

"For what I said early." He replied, still whispering. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Normally, she would insist that he didn't hurt her. That she was tougher then that…That a few words would never hurt her but she would be lying. He might not have said it to hurt her or upset her but it had done because he was right. Most of the time they hovered between the lines of friendship and something more. It seemed now, Marshall was tired of being stuck in that limbo and was going to make them both face it.

She rolled over so they were looking at each other. "Sleep, Marshall."

He looked back at her, trying to read her face but she wasn't giving anything away. He let out a sigh. "Okay."

Mary closed her eyes and kept them shut; not wanting to talk anymore and hoped Marshall got the message. She didn't know how long she led there, just listening to his breathing but they both must have fallen asleep at some point because around 7:40am, Mary woke up to Marshall mumbling and thrashing around.

"Marshall?" She said sleepily, pushing herself into a sitting position. She grabbed his shoulder and shook him. "Marshall, wake up…It's just a dream…Marshall."

He sat up suddenly, eyes wide and breathing heavily.

"It's okay…" Mary whispered, sitting beside him, rubbing his shoulders. "Just a dream."

"Damn it…" He muttered, hanging his head.

"Hey." She shifted closer to him and lifted his chin so he was looking at her. "You're okay."

He blinked a few times and tried to catch his breath.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head and tried to move away from her but instead she put her to the back of his neck to stop him. Instinct took over and without thinking, she leaned in closer; pressing her lips against once and then again. He pulled away from her and stared at her in shock but she didn't give him chance to say anything because she kissed him again, this time wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him tightly. She knew how to comfort someone this way…She didn't do well with emotions and words. She deepened the kiss when she heard him moan then moved so was sat on his lap.

Marshall kissed back, his hands gripping the back of the t-shirt she slept in, causing it bunch up. Then one hand slipped down, to touch the bare skin at the base of her spine. Slowly that hand pushed the shirt up and Mary was forced to break the kiss as he pulled it over her head but the second that was done, she was pulling him back to her. She started to push him down onto his back but then was surprised when he flipped their positions and she found herself underneath him. He gripped both her wrists in one hand loosely, placing them above her head while he moved his lips down her jaw to her neck. She groaned, tilting her head back to give him more room and tried not to squirm when he ran the fingertips of his free hand up and down ribs slowly.

Then suddenly, he froze and sat up, letting go of her.

"What?" She looked up at him in confusion.

"The door."

"What?" She frowned.

"Marshall?!" Someone called out and the next thing Mary knew, he was off the bed and running a hand through his hair.

"My brother."

"What?" She said again, sitting up this time. "Marshall?"

He looked at her and she could see the panic in his eyes when he realized just how they close they had just came. His brother called once more and Marshall heard footsteps on the stairs. Then before she could say anymore, he was across the room and out the door.

"Idiot…" She muttered to herself as she fell back against the pillows and squeezed her eyes shut. "What have you done?"

**TBC **

**Please review and let me know what you think. Marshall's brother has the worse timing…or does he? Mary and Marshall never do anything the easy way…this is no different. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey, thanks to everyone who reviewed. Sorry it's taken so long to update. I've lost my way a little with this fic so I hope this chapter is okay. Please review and let me know! **

**Enjoy! **

**Unlikely Friendship**

Mary decided to take a shower to allow Marshall some space and to have some time with his brother. She took her time getting dressed but when she walked into the kitchen, she found someone other than Marshall sat at the table.

"Um, hi?" He looked at her questioningly.

"Hi." She gave him a small smile. "You must be one Marshall's brother…"

"I am." He nodded once. "And you are?"

"Mary Shannon." She replied. "Marshall's…"

"Marshall's partner." He stood up and carried his empty cup over to the coffee machine.

"Yeah." She glanced around but still couldn't see Marshall anywhere.

"Why are you here?" He turned back to her, leaning against the counter with his arms folded.

Mary was a little taken back by his reaction to her. She had never met any of Marshall's family other than Seth and although Marshall had told her he wasn't like his brothers, she wasn't quite ready for the big difference between them. They were even difference in looks, except for the eyes.

"I'm here for Marshall." Mary answered, standing a little taller.

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "If you're here for Marshall, then where is he now?"

Mary narrowed her eyes at him. "I took a shower while he came down here when you arrived."

"Richie, leave her alone."

Mary turned at the sound of a female voice and saw a woman enter the kitchen with rubber gloves on.

"Hi, I'm Louise…Richie's wife." She held out her hand put then pulled back when she realized she still had her gloves on. "Marshall has gone out for a run."

"Right." Mary nodded. "Makes sense… His morning run helps clear his head."

"Hmm…" Richie poured himself another cup of coffee.

"I guess the two of you spend a lot of time together…" Louise pulled off her gloves. "Being partners and all…"

"Well, we do see each other every day." Mary said, a little unsure where the other woman was going with that.

"It's just...We're all a little worried about him." She continued. "We know about his break up with Abigail and now with Rose getting sick again…"

"To be honest, there is not a lot I can tell you." She admitted. "You probably know more than me."

"I thought you were his best friend?" Richie commented.

"Stop it." Louise told him warningly. "She's not that one that hurt him."

"How do you know?" He shot back.

Louise sighed and looked back to Mary. "We're just worried about him."

"Marshall is pretty independent when it comes to sorting through his own problems." Mary claimed but as she spoke, she wondered whether she just trying to reason why she had little experience dealing with a struggling Marshall. "I think he needs a bit of space…He's a smart guy, he knows when to ask for help."

"We're not really a family that doesn't get involved with each other's life…" Louise smiled a little. "I wonder if that's why Marshall lives so far away…"

"Maybe it's time he came back home." Richie stated.

Mary scowled. "He's not a little kid...He's a grown man."

"Well, he could do with having his family around him."

"Richie, you know as well as anyone that if you tried to tell Marshall to move back here, he'll probably end up moving even further away." Louise cut in. "Mary is right…Marshall doesn't like people interfering in his life."

"That's worked out well for him so far…"

"What the hell do you know?!" Mary snapped. "Yes, things have been tough for him the last few months but he has a good life…a great career…He has people that care about him…He's one of the best people I know and he doesn't deserve any of what happened but I can guarantee he will get through this."

She saw Richie open his mouth to say something in reply but the sound of the front door opening and then closing stopped him. They were all silent when Marshall entered the kitchen, a little out of breathe. He stopped, looking a little surprised to see them all stood there.

"What?" He asked, pulling his headphones out of his ear.

"Nothing…" Louise smiled at him. "I was just going to start making some breakfast."

He didn't look convince. "Okay…"

"I talked to Dad." Riche told him. "Mom will be home this afternoon."

"She said she wants the whole family here so when the kids get done with school they're going to come straight here." Louise added. "Mike, Sophie and the girls will be over in time for dinner too."

"We thought since it's a nice day we might have it outside, fire up the barbeque." Richie continued. "What do you think?"

"Whatever." Marshall answered, opening the fridge to get a bottle of water.

His older brother sighed in frustration. "Could you show a little enthusiasm?"

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Marshall started sarcastically, spinning around to face him. "I didn't realize Mom's death was something we had to get excited about!"

"Marshall." Mary stepped closer to him, noticing that Louise grabbed Richie's arm when he made a move toward his brother. "Come on, you know he didn't mean that..."

Marshall looked at her but before he said anymore his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, glancing at the caller ID before answering.

"Brandi, hi…Thanks for calling me back." He said, walking out the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Brandi?" Richie repeated, looking at Mary questionable. "There's another girl already?"

Mary was still watching the space where he had just been, trying to tell herself that she had no right to feel betrayed. Marshall wasn't hers and she couldn't stop who he talked to or spent time with.

"Apparently so…" Mary whispered. "Excuse me."

Louise and Richie exchanged looks as she left to go upstairs.

"What the hell happened to him?" Richie muttered, running a hand over his face.

"He got his heart broken." Louise said softly. "And he's trying to his hardest not to let that happen again."

"What do I do?" He asked.

"Nothing." She squeezed his hand. "He'll come to you when he's ready."

_**XxXxX**_

An hour had passed and by the time Marshall had had a shower, he begun to feel guilty about how acted. Hearing the news that his mom would be home that afternoon made him feel incredibly nervous. He had spoken to her at least once a week on the phone for the last few months and could tell by the sound of her voice that she wasn't in a good way but the last time he had seen her was over a year ago, before she got sick again. He was scared that being so ill was the way he was going to remember her and he really didn't think he could handle that.

He left his room and was about to go down the stairs when he realized that Mary was sat on the bed in the guest room. He hesitated before deciding he needed to talk to her…he needed to apologize.

He tapped lightly on the open door, causing her to turn to face him.

"Hi." He shoved his hands into his pockets as he eyes fell onto her bag. "I wouldn't blame you for leaving…"

Mary looked at the bag that she hadn't even unpacked.

"I don't know why I did that…" He said quietly, walking to the room and sat on the other side of the bed.

"Did what?"

"Why I acted like a jerk to Richie and Louise…To you."

"Maybe it is best I go…maybe I'm distracting you from what really matters and that's your mom."

"There's nothing going on with Brandi and me." He cut in. "I mean we've talked a bit but…"

"Marshall, you don't need to explain anything to me…"

"I do, Mare…I know you…I know what you must have thought when I took that phone call…I should have never done that to you." He hung his head slightly. "You didn't deserve that."

"Why did you?" She turned again so she was facing him fully. "Have you and Brandi really grown that close?"

"I called her to ask her to look after Oscar."

Mary nodded. "That makes sense…But didn't answer my question."

He sighed. "I saw her at a bar…her friend cancelled on her and she was getting hassled by a guy so I pretended to be with her to get rid of him…We needed up talking."

"Is that where Abigail saw you?"

"I don' know…I don't think so…She mentioned something about seeing us in the park…another coincidence, we bumped into each other, she needed to use the bathroom and I kept an eye on Joey." He explained.

"But she did spend the night at your house?"

"It was the night you guys had an argument, I went to your house to see you but Brandi was so upset…I thought I was doing the right thing." He ran his hands through is hair. "I thought you might appreciate her not being at the house when you got back and I thought I could help her."

"Jesus, Marshall you have so much going on in your life…You don't have to get involved in my family dramas."

"I wanted to help."

"So, that's it?" She asked. "Just the three times."

"Don't be mad at her." He said. "She spent most of the time telling me to talk to you…"

"Did you talk to her? About all this?"

"I kinda of lost it the night she was at my house…" He nodded.

"Why could you talk to her and not me?"

"I don't know, Mare…I didn't just decide too…It just came out." He sighed. "I just…Brandi was going through so stuff too and I guess, sometimes I feel like me and you are too close…"

"And that's a bad thing?"

"No, it's not but I was worried." He admitted. "About what you would do."

"You thought I wouldn't be there for you? That I wouldn't stick up for you?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I thought you would go shot Abigail." He corrected.

"There is still time."

"Mare…"

"You didn't deserve what did to you, Marshall and I cannot believe someone as smart as you can't see that."

"I just feel..." He looked down at his hands. "I mean, you know…you've been through breakups…"

"Yeah but nothing like this….What is it that you feel? And if you say responsible, I might just have to shoot you too."

He smiled a little but she could tell it was forced.

"I feel like everything is falling apart around me." He whispered. "Nothing is going right and it's like I'm stuck in some mud but the harder I try to get out the quicker I'm sinking."

She reached out and placed her hand on top of his. "Then let people help you…Me, Stan, your family…Even Brandi."

He blinked a few times and she could tell he was fighting tears. "I don't know how."

She sighed a little, squeezing his hand. "Yeah, me either but I guess that means we can help each other figure it out."

**TBC**

**Please review and let me know what you think! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey, just a small chapter for this update. Thanks to anyone who is still reading and who reviewed! Please keep them coming! **

**Enjoy! **

**Unlikely Friendship**

After their talk, Mary wasn't sure what to do. As soon as the rest of the family turned up to get the house ready for Rose Mann's return, Marshall had gone silent again, barely answering whenever someone spoke to him. Mary didn't want to get in the way but she also didn't want to stray too far from Marshall either.

"I don't know if I can do this…" He whispered, surprising her and forcing her out of her deep thought.

"Do what?" She asked, turning to face him and could see his eyes following his brothers and their wives cleaning, cooking and moving furniture.

"Stay here…Do this." He let out a shaky breath. "I can't act like everything is okay…"

Mary followed his gaze, watching the others for a few seconds before looking back at him. "This is going to be hard, I know it is and I'm sorry but you have to do it."

He leaned forward and raked his fingers through his hair.

"I know I've never met your mom before…" Mary started, hesitating a little. "But from what you've told me about her, she seems like a pretty great mom…"

"She is." He whispered.

"So, I doubt she's going to come in here expecting you all to be okay…" She took hold of his hand.

"I know but…" He started but stopped.

"But what?" She prompted.

"She's dying, Mare." He finally turned to look at her, tears shining in his eyes.

"Marshall." She whispered, feeling her own eyes burning. "I wish I could do something….I wish I knew what to say to you to make this easier but it's just something you need to face…I'm so, so sorry."

She racked her brain, trying to think of something else she could say or do when he didn't reply and hung his head again. She glanced across at his family again and saw they were now pay attention to them. When Richie made to move to come over to them, his wife grabbed his arm and stopped him. She couldn't hear what the other woman was saying but Mary could tell Richie wasn't happy about being told to keep out of it.

"Look, Marshall…" Mary moved to crouch down in front of him, knowing it would block his family's view of him. "You're not alone…It might feel like it but you're not…You've got your family here and I get that it's hard for you to see them trying to act normal but they're doing that for your Mom…You don't want her to be worrying about you all, do you?"

He looked down again and she could tell he felt guilty. She placed a finger under his chin and lifted his head so he was looking at her again.

"And you have me…for when things get too much…I'll be here for whatever you need." She promised. "But you have to deal with this, Marshall…Trust me, we will help you….I'll help you and your bothers….well, they might not be going through exactly what you are going through but they have some idea what you're dealing with."

He swallowed and blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the tears in his eyes then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry." She told him softly. "I get why you're upset…You have every right to be but just don't forget you're not alone."

He nodded. "I think I need to step outside for a bit…Get some air."

"Good idea." Mary moved back to sit beside him. "Do you want me to come?"

"I…I think I need some time alone." He stuttered a little. "I'm sorry…"

"It's fine…You don't need to keep apologizing." She assured him, glancing across the room again to see his family had returned to what they were doing but his brothers kept looking their way. "You might want to make a break for it now before they head over here."

"Okay…" He took another shaky breath and got to his feet, avoiding making eye contact with his family as he headed for the door.

"Hey, where is he going?" Richie questioned in concern.

"He's just getting so fresh air." Mary assured him. "He'll be back soon."

Richie looked towards his older brother, Jonathon. "We need to do something."

Jonathon sighed. "Just give him space…"

"He's falling apart!" Richie exclaimed. "We need to stick together! We need to make everything okay for Mom…We need to…"

"And what about what he needs?" Jonathon cut in, surprising Mary by sounding so much like Marshall. "He's here Rich… He came and he has stayed…maybe that's the best we can ask for at the moment."

Richie racked a hand through his hair. "Well, what are we meant to do? Mom will be home soon and doesn't need to be worrying about him."

"Oh please…" He rolled his eyes. "She's going to be worrying about all us… Especially Marshall…that's nothing new."

"Look, just give him time." Mary stood up. "He'll pull himself together…He knows he has to for your Mom…He won't let her down, I promise you."

"Then what will he do?" Richie asked. "Break down completely?"

"Is it really healthy?" Louise questioned hesitantly. "I mean, ignoring the other problems he's obviously going through will surely make all this harder to deal with after."

"He needs to do this." Mary insisted. "He'll never forgive himself if he doesn't and afterwards, I'll be there to help him through the rest."

"Look, we've got about two hours before Dad and Mom gets back, so let's get on with the cleaning and getting the food ready." Jonathon suggested.

"Why clean when all the kids are just going to mess everything up after they finished school." Ritchie rolled his eyes but went back to what he had been doing, effectively dropping the conversation on Marshall.

Jonathon sent Mary a small reassuring smile before walking away into the kitchen. Since the older brother had turned up, Mary hadn't had chance to talk him because he had been busy giving people orders and she had been sticking close to Marshall but now she was surprised at how much he reminded her of Marshall.

After 15 minutes, she decided she would give her partner another five before she went out looking for him but he didn't need it.

"You okay?" She asked quietly.

He nodded a little. "Yeah…"

"I think everything is pretty much cleaned and your sisters in laws have ordered everyone out of the kitchen so they can start on the food…" She told him.

"Okay, thanks…" He said before moving across the room, gaining the attention of his brothers.

"What you looking for?" Jonathon frowned a little, watching him pulling things out of a cabinet.

"Albums…" Marshall answered after a few seconds holding up the first one he found. "Photographs…Remember how much fun we should to have looking through them."

"Remember? She pulled them out the first time I brought Michelle home for the first time." Jonathon groused but reached down and took a tin over spilling with pictures from his younger brothers.

"She'll love looking through these." Richie commented. "Good idea, little brother."

Marshall rolled his eyes at the nickname but instead of replying, he sat fully on the floor with one of the phone albums open on his lap.

"Ha, remember that summer you grew a ponytail." Jonathon laughed, waving a photo at Richie.

"Hey, it was fashionable!" Richie claimed, snatching it from him. "I looked cool!"

"You really didn't." The older man shook his head.

Mary walked over to Marshall, peering over his shoulder to see what he was so focused on and saw the old photographs were Rose holding a baby, who Mary assumed was Marshall since Jonathon and Richie were in some of them too. She remembered what Seth had said about Abigail being pregnant. She knew Marshall must be torn about what to do but she didn't have a doubt in her mind that would be make an incredible Dad, even if it wasn't how he dreamed his family would be. She unconsciously reached out and squeezed his shoulder, causing him to look up at her and give her a small smile.

"Thanks, Mare…" He whispered.

"What for?"

He shrugged a little. "For being here."

"What are friends for?" She answered as she sat down beside him and reached for the book. "Now, let me look…There's got to be some embarrassing picture in here I can use against you in the future."

**TBC**

**Please review! **


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